History
HISTORY EARLY HISTORY The nations of Dantir have not always been present in their current states, and are the result of both exploration and migration over the centuries. Many civilizations have risen quickly and fallen hard to warring neighbours, natural disasters and degradation from within. Some of these have split or merged to become the more modern states, and only a few can trace their origins back to the beginnings of recorded history. That history nominally begins some 1248 years ago, marked by an event that would come to affect every people on the continent. Of course much occurred before this, even some nations that must have lived their entire existence before, but the confusion and tumult of that time has caused the loss of most reliable records. Myth and legend cannot be credited but that now is the only memory that remains of some of the greatest peoples of Dantir. During this time most Sauger had developed the use of bronze tools and weaponry, and some had begun to experiment with iron. But the Sauger had no knowledge of magic, and so their skills with mining and crafting metals remained fairly rudimentary. Their relationship with the gods was well established, with almost every culture sharing an understanding of the origins of the Sauger through varying mythology. The following is a rough timeline of history gathered by various academics, from varying perspectives and sources. The Time of the Red Skies (Theorized at approx. 1200 years ago) Stories from almost every realm mention the night the sky turned red. To some it was a flare in the darkness of the western horizon, to others an all-encompassing cataclysm that covered the sky from forest ceiling to mountain’s foot. Some describe streaks of flame the passed from one point to another, others say the blackness of night became red as a stormy dawn but no sun rose. Still others remember it as a great eye yawing wide from horizon to horizon, dripping tears of lightning that set the earth aflame. Some peoples tell stories of this single inexplicable event, but others claim it recurred again in following years, twice or even thrice. No two Sauger people can now agree on what may have caused such disturbances, nor even agree on how long it remained or the consequences of it. But all know that their ancestors were one night disturbed by cataclysm, and none have ever allowed their children to forget. The First Arrival (Theorized at 1130-1200 years ago) Eluvian history has many tales of great heroes and battles, of knights who could not be killed and great towers of learning and culture. They also tell of a time of great change, but stories of cataclysm centre on the battles fought and enemies who forced the great changes on their people. The Eluvian have ever fought off the conniving grendlers, creatures of low culture but high intelligence. Their history speaks of a great war that culminated in open battle, both sides employing all the magics and monstrous allies at their disposal. The enemy employed a great power against them, something that destroyed not only the warriors on the field but all the land around them. Disoriented warriors regained their awareness to find themselves surrounded by a strange landscape and even stranger sky. The forest and towers they were fighting to protect had vanished, in place a long lakeside and low trees that sheltered the remains of squat wooden buildings, many burning or destroyed by the magics that had been released. 9 The grendler armies regained their awareness as the Eluvian did, and those who had survived the blast re-joined in battle. But quickly they found their magics did not work as they expected, and their injured did not stand to re-join the fight. The grendlers weapon had robbed them of their control and so the Eluvians were forced to retreat to the forest. The grendlers too left the field, spreading out across the new land, pillaging and killing all in their path. The Eluvians healed their wounded as best they knew how, but the hindrance to their magic twisted its purpose and returned only misshapen flesh and incomplete will to their fallen comrades. The poor creatures dragged themselves from the field, and it is said the woods still ring with the voices of those who should be dead. Unsure of their location the army of Eluvian spread out across the region. They met strange creatures, animals who walked upright and spoke with words not grunts. Many attacked them at first meeting, each not knowing of the intelligence of the other. Many Sauger were destroyed in ignorance, and many more fell to the knives of the grendlers, who also spread throughout the area and who would not hesitate to kill what they did not understand. The Eluvian established homes of their own, defending them against the local Sauger who they saw as savages, and the endless raids of grendlers who would not make for themselves what they could take from their neighbours. After years of study and speculation the Eluvian elders felt that they understood the weapon that had brought them to this strange place, and found a way to increase the power of their magics once more. By focusing into the strange stone outcroppings they found their magic was concentrated and they gathered in all their remaining people to return home. Their attempt failed, causing nothing more than an explosion of power that once again disoriented all gathered and destroyed much of the town the Eluvians had built around the stone. Disheartened, the Eluvian were forced to expand the boarders of their newly claimed lands to survive and rebuild, their exploration bringing them into conflict with all the surrounding nations. The Sauger armies found it hard to defend against their magic, and so even a relatively small number of Eluvian were able to devastate any force a nation could raise. But the limitation on their magic remained, and for several years they continued to use the old way of reviving their injured, and even tried to revive the bodies of Sauger cut down in their battles. Each time the flesh refused to knit and often the mind remained empty leaving many foul creatures to wander the region. What they did not understand was that the area they inhabited was already occupied, by the nation now known as the Anari (River Folk). However they were no match for the power of the Eluvian and were scattered, some fleeing to the neighbouring countries of Randwelt and Toraneya, while most fled into the mountains of stone in the former countries east. The fall of the Grand Septorian Empire With the rising of the red dawn, the great Emperor Claudius began adapting increasingly harsh treatment of his people. With the interference of an anarchist known only as the Dagger, the people turned on their Emperor and Empire, causing their once great civilization to buckle under the pressure. It is alleged at this time that those that would be the forefathers of the Avantine were spirited away to the Great Northern Isle, though the means of doing so is large in speculation. Rampage of the Jorgenwyld With the loss of whatever kept the Jorgenwyld in check, the Barbarians began a long period of conquest spanning more than 25 years. First the Kingdom of Silacio was destroyed in a blitzkrieg of Jorgenwyld attacks. Although this would buy the unified peoples of Oikos Nessos to raise armies to defend itself, the Jorgenwyld brutality and rage knew know bounds. Within 30 years, the once great Mercantile League of Oikos Nessos was reduced to ruins. 10 The Second Arrival It is said that with the end of the period of the red skies that brought more strangers to Dantir, this time in the great central mountains. A refuge for the Anari River folk, their peace was shattered with the arrival of hordes of Drummon. Believing that they were under attack again, the River folk attempted to fight the Drummon, only to be driven out by the staunch determination and superior defensive skills and fighting capabilities of the Drummon. More so, a group of Eluvian that had been pursuing the River folk were able to assist the Drummon in their battle, wielding powerful magics unseen before by the eyes of the Drummon and earning themselves a powerful ally. What would be ever more unfortunate for the Anari would be that they would soon meet their fate at the hands of an even more destructive power, the orax menace. The Destiny of the Topacoatl Having long predicted their fall, the Topacoatl civilization began self-imploding. Blood sacrifices and daily ritual killings became all the more common. This weakened the Topacoatl sufficiently that when the Orax assaulted them, they could barely looked back. Within months, what remained of this once proud nation was wiped out by the oncoming Jorgenwyld raiders. The Restoration of Septoria. Within 50 years, the once mighty Empire of Septoria has been brought low. The new anarchist state, freely becoming a land of do as you please soon learned the price for such freedom. With the loss of trade, food stuffs and grain, the people of Septoria found themselves becoming increasingly desperate, being overwhelmed by plague and starvation. It was in this darkest moment that a delegation arrived from the Eluvian people. Without a stable government, the Eluvians gathered together the majority of people in the Septorian nation and began the process of reformation and restoration of their people. The Eluvians taught the Septorians magical arts, aiding in the curing of the diseases and assisting in the replantation of the crops. In return, the Septorians taught the Eluvians the value of coin and trade, something that was for all intents and purposes an alien concept to them. Within a decade a new Septorian people were reborn. Battle of Savages Driven onward by the Drummon protecting their newfound territory, the Orax moved east. Having destroyed the Topacoatl, the orax encountered an opponent almost as savage as themselves – the Jorgenwyld. In what would become one of the most bloody conflicts of these early period, the savage orax fought the barbaric Jorgenwyld to a standstill as neither side showed mercy, fear or reluctance. Each threw all their effort at the other, killing or being killed. However with the loss of their leader in a particularly brutal battle, a new leader of the Jorgenwyld arose. This warlord could see the never ending conflict that would be had with the Jorgenwyld and wisely decided to manoeuvre his Jorgenwyld back, allowing an easier pathway leading north. Finding an easier path, the Orax instinctively took the quickest route between Drummon and Jorgenwyld and rampaged north into the lands of the Kenaan. 11 Great Eluvian War Years of lobbying for help by the Anari finds purchase in noble Randwelt. The Randwelt dukes march their armies to battle the strangers, calling this a noble crusade against the invading usurpers. Other nations watch with interest still listening to the Anari emissaries. However in Septoria are the Anari emissaries removed from their territories. Randwelt armies attacked the Eluvian invaders from the south. The battles are hard for the Sauger armies, as the Eluvian people wield weapons superior to their own, and have the power of magic. Meanwhile, a mistake by the arrogant Eluvian leads to destruction of Toraneyan Temple. The Toraneyan people respond with incredible ferocity. Kenaan, seeing opportunity, attack the northern borders of the Eluvian and Drummon territories under the guise of freeing the Anari’s rightful territory. Attacked by the Kenaan, the Drummon offer their full support to the Eluvians in their time of need, the strength of Drummon steel and order a perfect contrast with the raw magical power and elegance of the Eluvian magics. The Kenaan are forced to retreat with the sudden and brutal attack of orax from their southernmost borders. Likewise the Drummon are forced to pull back when the brutal Jorgenwyld strike the eastern Drummon mountain strongholds. The Eluvians are hard pressed on two flanks until a force of Septorians unexpectedly strike the Randwelt Knights in the flanks. While lightly armed and amoured, the Septorians are bolstered with magics and quickly turn the Randwelt offensive into a rout. The world was in chaos. Seven peoples were at war, right across the centre of the lands of Dantir. The peace An end to the war seemed impossible. The Sauger battled Eluvian and Drummon both, while coping with attacks from orax and the betrayal by the Sauger of Septoria. But despite the superior technology and magic of the Drummon and Eluvian forces, the Sauger nations had the advantage in numbers. The Drummon and the Eluvians had no relief, no reserve of soldiers. Eventually one Sauger army broke into territory between the Eluvian and Drummon forces, splitting them apart, at least temporarily. Now facing armies from four surrounding nations both sides offered truce to avert catastrophic bloodshed. A multinational leadership group, led by a general from Randwelt known as Jeroen, met with representatives from both the Eluvian and Drummon. The Eluvian and Drummon confirmed that they were not savage as were the orax and grendlers, and had a genuine interest in the end to the fighting. By now the Eluvian spoke the language of the Septorians, and finally peace negotiations were able to begin. The combined power of the remaining Sauger nations had been unable to drive away the Eluvian and Drummon from their newly claimed land, and though some little territory was returned as a part of negotiations, the modern borders of the nations were decided. Much was also lost to the ravaging of the orax and grendlers, leaving swathes of uninhabited territory across central Dantir, which to this day remain places of great danger to travelers. The High King - 1122 years ago The war had brought unprecedented co-operation of the nations. But despite truce being settled, there was a need for ongoing leadership to deal with the fragile peace between races and the ongoing orax and grendler raids. The armies and generals of all nations – including the Drummon and Eluvian – came to respect the leadership and wisdom of Jeroen, the leader of a 12 Randwelt faction. Jeroen proved as adept in negotiation as he had in battle. He had even won the respect of the Jorgenwyld people – a feat no other foreigner ever had achieved. Eventually this respect was mooted into an independent office – known as the High King – who would be an authority for matters that threatened the peace of the lands of Dantir. (See the section on the High King for a more in depth discussion of this role.) Portal stone network established and control adopted by Mage schools - 697 years ago After centuries of experimentation and failure the Mage schools finally managed to connect a long series of natural “Bones of the Earth” outcroppings, using them to transfer themselves from place to place. With a method established a network quickly began growing as the mages tamed and incorporated more and more stones. As civilization expanded on the mainland it has sought out these stones and added them to the system to make travel swift and safe. Only inhabited areas host stones that are maintain, though abandoned areas are still sometimes reachable by them, though travel to such stones is considered unsafe. Establishment of Guild Council - 650 years ago The notion of Guilds spread from the strong caste system used by the Drummon, and unified teaching methods across much of Dantir. By this time most nations hosted Guild houses for all trades and crafts, and multinational leadership was required to oversee them. The Guild Council was formed to ensure that each Guild regardless of region followed the guidelines of its craft, and to protect them from local exploitation. The Mage schools and Orders of the gods were invited to join the council to help ensure that it (like them) would be respected as independent of any one national influence. MODERN HISTORY Avantine invasion - 75 years ago Completely forgotten by the rest of the world, the remnant of the Grand Septorian Empire, now known as the Avantine Empire, having conquered the great northern isle, began their assault. Almost half of Kenaan was lost before the High King, Bortello of Septoria, rallied the other nations of the alliance and drove back the Avantine in a series of battles across Kenaan and the seas. Avantine Peace - 73 years ago In this year, High King Bortello having routed the Avantine and captured their War Consul Forus, formalized a peace treaty that would remove the Avantine presence from the continent save for one city of the Kenaani people. In return to abiding by the same rules and restrictions as the other nations, the Avantine were allowed to join the council the guilds allowed to establish themselves on the Great Northern Isle. Current High King raised – 4 years ago Martan of Ruess, King of Randwelt, was raised as the new High King, after the death of Piero Brano of Septoria, third of his line. It is rumored that there was much discontent with this choice, being raised by the minimum of votes required. It is said he was not even mentioned as a candidate when the voting began, but instead was chosen only to break a stalemate between supporters of an Eluvian candidate and those of a Kenaani candidate. Category:Nations Category:History Category:Races Category:High King Category:Eluvian Category:Drummon Category:Sauger